Life Without Me
Plot Synopsis:
The main character Nigel owns a hotel, which is completely falling apart. He is incompetent at his job, as he is never able to assist any of the guests and he makes their stay very difficult. All the characters in the play happen to get blown into the hotel for different reason, and once they are in they are in the hotel they are unable to leave. Having stayed in the hotel they come to learn about themselves and come to terms with whatever their problem is. In the end all the characters end up leaving the hotel except for one, John, despite his numerous efforts to leave.
Characters:
Nigel:[1] A hotel clerk
Nigel is incompetent at his job; he is unhelpful, unwelcoming and belligerent to his guests, and causes their stay to be difficult - his actions and attitude seem Absurd.
“I don’t have a pen… I don’t carry a pen at work”[2]
He is unwilling to leave the hotel even though it is falling to pieces and he sleeps on a couch in the foyer of the hotel. He argues and frequently asks rhetorical questions or answers questions with further questions. His relationship with his mother is difficult. He highlights the issue that we can become stuck in a rut. He is the archetypal comic clown.
John:[3] A guest
John has been blown into the hotel but struggles to leave. He is stuck in a rut and has lost meaning in his life. Early on, he has arguments with Nigel about checking in, the state of the hotel, the availability of rooms etc. On his attempts to leave he ends up back in the hotel and starts to spend a lot of time with Nigel.
“I have been trying to leave the city, but I can’t. And now I can’t seem to leave the hotel”[4]
Unlike the other characters he exercises his free will and choses to stay in the hotel, rather then resume his meaningless job at the end of the play.
Roy Williams:[5] Salesman
Roy tries to sell linen sheets in establishments such as the Spence’s Hotel. However he is a failure; like the other guests he is inept. He quarrels with Nigel about having an appointment, which results in him staying at the hotel and falling in love with another guest, Alice. He and Alice have a scene centred on mistaken identity.[6] He represents the issue that modern society is a rat race;
“I’m a salesman, once quite successful but not anymore”[7]
At the end of the play, Roy escapes his situation and leaves with Alice, which has renewed meaning in his life.
Alice Jarve:[8] A guest
Alice and Roy knew people with the same names in the past and as a result are involved in a case of mistaken identity. They converse about how they knew similar people to each other in the past and how bizarre the situation is. Finally they decide to leave the hotel together because they need change in their lives and they are sick of waiting for something they lost a long time ago.
“Of course there is a coincidence, you know, in our meeting. Your name is Alice and mine is Roy, even if you’re not the Alice I thought you were”[9]
This situation is reminiscent of the Smiths in The Bald Prima Donna.
Mrs Spence:[10] Nigel’s mother
Mrs Spence is a 70 years old woman. She is a cheerful, eccentric, lovely lady unable to let go of the hotel. However her issue is being in denial about having lost her husband, and she refuses to accept the truth by pretending that he is still alive.
“Don’t be ridiculous I’d know if he passed away”[11]
Her struggle with reality leads her to continually question Nigel as well as her own bizarre actions,
“Come, I’ll show you the fish while you’re waiting for your husband. I’ve been giving them names.”[12]
Tom + Ellen:[13] Guests
Tom and Ellen are a married couple who barely know each other and are struggling with issues within their marriage. They play a game and pretend that they don’t know each other to rekindle romance much like the Martins in the Absurdist play, The Bald Prima Donna. Their argument is absurd as they try and connect to one another and mend the broken pieces. They end up able to leave the hotel, however not together. To find meaning they have to leave each other
“Tom: We pretended we didn’t know each other”
Nigel: Why?
Tom: So we could meet each other again”[14]
Issues/Themes:
Key themes identified in Life Without Me are similar to those observed in the traditional plays of the Theatre of the Absurd. For example,
- Life seems meaningless and absurd
“My life goes on day after day, but it goes on without me in it.”[15]
- Modern society is a rat race,
“I’m like a rat in a maze”[16]
“ Every street looks the same, the same walls, same windows, same doorways.”[17]
- Modern relationships seem transient, hollow and disposable,
“What’s life given us? You were happy once, so was I. Neither of us are happy anymore…. What we know doesn’t matter. Sometimes I think that all I know about myself is what I’ve lost.”[18]
The idea of living in a rat race follows onto the idea of life being meaningless. Life is illogical unless we consciously create purpose and meaning. The play contains humour to make the issues amusing for the audience so they will recognise and think about them.
[1] Robert Menzies MTC Production
[2] Nigel, Scene 1, Page 6
[3] Greg Stone MTC Production
[4] John, Scene 5, Page 61
[5] Brian Lipson MTC Production
[6] Like Mr. and Mrs. Martin “The Bald Prima Donna”
[7] Roy, Scene 3, Page 29
[8] Deidre Rubenstein MTC Production
[9] Roy, Scene 3, Page 28
[10] Kerry Walker MTC Production
[11] Mrs Spence, Scene 3, Page 32
[12] Mrs Spence, Scene 6, Page 72
[13] Benedict Hardie and Kristina Brew, MTC Production.
[14] Tom and Ellen, Scene 5, Page 58
[15] Roy, Scene 4, Page 46
[16] John, Scene 4, Page 49
[17] John, Scene 4, Page 47
[18] Roy, Scene 4, Page 45